Everyone's Growth Journey Is Different
How are you choosing to experience yours?
We all go through stages, ups and downs, and sometimes around and around in vicious circles in life. Everyone's growth journey is different, but what they have in common is that they are very rarely linear.
While you may be going through a complete transformation in personal identity, someone else is simply getting curious and exploring the various directions open to them. Another person could be facing a huge challenge. Others could be feeling on track and purposeful, and are simply filling in gaps in their lifestyle and experiences that need attention or development. I like to think of those gaps as new opportunities for growth rather than something to be fixed. For example, if you’re stable in terms of career and health, but your relationships need attention, then the effort you put into that will not just improve the situation in the present, but the lesson and how you develop from it will impact you in the long-term too.
Stages of Transformation
I already went through a transformation of personal identity once in my 30s when I changed country, career and relationship status to start from scratch. Now in my 40s, more transformation has and will take place. Some of that is intentional and initiated by me, such as my decision to settle in Mexico for the foreseeable future, relaunch my business after a year-long hiatus, and undergo an intensive sclerotherapy treatment. These are changes in my personal, professional and wellness status that are providing ample opportunities for growth.
Other elements will be natural or circumstantial, and I will have to adapt and change accordingly, such as aging and perimenopause, or relationship transitions. While I may not have full control over these things happening, I will have control over how I respond and adapt to them, and therein lie more opportunities for growth.
Opportunities for Growth
When we undergo change or transformation, whether we perceive it as positive or negative, there is always an opportunity for growth. There is always a choice. We can choose to resist, stay in the same place, or we can choose to lead our response, lead our growth, and embrace our transformation actively, rather than be subject to it passively. In that way, despite any negative experiences, we will also experience the positive impact of agency around our growth.
My sclerotherapy treatment, for example, is a response to a condition that has developed over time in my body. I’ve chosen to treat it now before it gets worse, for both health and aesthetic reasons. It has been a costly, painful, lengthy and inconvenient journey. It has also impacted me positively in terms of health, fitness, appearance and confidence, forcing me to take consistent action where I was neglecting to do so before, and I’m seeing the results. All said and done, it has been worth it.
Ask Yourself
What stage are you at?
Are you currently experiencing a self-led transformation?
Are you considering change?
Or are you adapting to circumstances that are beyond your control and yet affecting you?
How are you leading yourself through it? Are you embracing it, resisting it, are you growing through it?
How could you support yourself more and enhance your opportunities for growth?
What one small step could you take today to progress on your own growth journey?
Take these questions to your journal and see what comes up for you. Then take one small action to move you in the right direction.
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Coaching can help you achieve clarity, make value-based decisions, and develop a growth mindset that will support you through any change.
Get in touch to learn more about how I can support you as a coach through life’s little challenges and major transformations.
Siobhán Gallagher is a coach, educator and writer focused on the intersection between communication, self-leadership and wellbeing. Join her mailing list or book a discovery call to learn more. Connect at siobhangallagher.co, LinkedIn and Instagram.